Quick engaging buckle for safety belts



Jan. 19, 1965 J. A. GAYLORD QUICK ENGAGING BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELTS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN A. 6A YLORD ATTORNEYJan. 19, 1965 .1. A. GAYLORD 3, 5,

QUICK ENGAGING BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELTS F iled May 20, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN A. GAYLORD ATTORNEY United States Patent3,165,803 QUICK ENGAGING BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELTS John A. Gaylord, SanRafael, Calif., assignor to H. Koch & Sons, Corte Madera, Calif., acorporation of California Filed May 20, 1963, Ser. No. 281,568 1 Claim.(Cl. 24-225) This invention relates to a quick engaging buckle forsafety belts.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a very simpletwo-piece buckle for safety belts which can be quickly engaged withoutany elaborate manipulation or alignment and thereafter positively heldin engaged position by the tension on the belt so that the puliingforces on the buckle tend to increase the tightness of the buckleconnection; and which buckle can be easily and quickly disengaged incase of emergency by a simple over center movement of one part of thebuckle relatively to the other so that the tension on the straps or beltportions will facilitate the disengagement and releasing of the buckleparts from one another.

I am aware that some changes may be made. in the general arrangementsand combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in thedetails of the construction thereof without departing from the scope ofthe present invention as set forth in the following specification, andas defined in the following claim; hence I do not limit my invention tothe exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts asdescribed in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the.exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front of the buckle in engagedposition.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear or body-side of the buckle inengaged position.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the buckle parts in disengaged position.

FIG. 4 is a top plan View of the buckle in engaged position.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the buckle in engaged position, thesection being taken substantiaily on the lines 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the buckle parts in disengaged position,and

FIG. 7 is a top sectional view of a simplified form of the buckle partsengaged.

The buckle consists of a male part 1 and a female part 2. The male parthas an elongated flat body 3 with a loop 4 formed at one end, throughwhich loop 4 ex- Patented Jan. 19, 1-965 the inner surface 13 of theflange 12 is in registry with the bottom or base of the hook '8. Theflange 12 also has apertures 14 therein to facilitate its engagement bythe fingers of the user for pulling the hook 8 out of engagement fromthe female member 2.

The female part 2 of the buckle consists of a single plate with anelongated slit 15 for engagement by a web loop 16 of the second web 17of the safety belt. A keeper slot 18 is formed in the female member 2generallyparaliel with the slit 15 and spaced from the end 19 of thefemale member 2. The keeper slot 18 fits over the hook 8 and its wall oredge 21 adjacent the free end 19 of the female member 2 is rounded tofacilitate insertion and removal of the hook 8.

The keeper slot 18 of the female member 2 fits over the hook 8 so thatit engages the bottom of the hook 8 in the cylindrical inner periphery 9past the center line 11 of the male body 3 so that the pulling forceexerted on the webs 7 and 17 will tend to push the hook 8 inwardly ofthe keeper slot 18 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

In operation the person using the safety belt simply inserts the hook 8into the slot 18 and pulls the webs 7 and 17 apart, whereupon the buckleis firmly locked. The hook 8 turns around the keeper slot 18 so that thetip edge 22 of the wide hook 8 in the closed position of the buckle ispositioned beyond the rounded edge 21 of the keeper slot 18. By reasonof the particular proportions and angle of arrangements, accidentaldisengagement of the buckle parts from one another is prevented. Fordisengagement of the buckle it is necessary for the person to pull theflange 12 away from the female member 2 so as to withdraw the hook .8from the keeper slot 18 .sufiiciently'far to permit the keeper slot 18to slide off of the hook 8. I

In the modified for-m shown in FIG. 7, the male member 25 is formed by acomparatively light plate-like body portion 26 having a loop portion 27from which is offset to one side the handle 28 out of which is formedthe oif-set hook 29. The female member 31 is also formed of a tends asuitable web loop 6 of a web 7 of a safety belt;

light plate and has the loop slit 32 for the web loop and it has thekeeper slot 33 engageable by the hook 29 in the relative position, asshown in FIG. 7, offset to one side of the plane or the center line ofthe part of the male member 25 in which the loop 27 is located. Inoperation this modified form of the loop functions in the same way asthe first described form. In both forms the length of the webs of thesafety belt may be predetermined or fitted or may be adjustable in anyusual manner.

I claim: a A buckle comprising (a) a male part formed of a transverselyelongated substantially flat body having a loop at one end for a web,(1')) an elongated hook formed transversely on one side and spaced fromthe respective side edges o said elongated flat body, (c) the insideperiphery of said elongated hook defining substantially aboutfive-eighths of a cylinder and the bottom of said periphery projectingpartly to oneside of said flat body and the curved hook point of saidhook being turned back toward said loop and projecting beyond the otherside of said flat body, (d) a lifting flange extended generally in theplane of the bottom of said hook, and

(e) a female part formed of a substantially flat member with a pair oftransverse parallel slits, one of said slits being engageable by anotherweb, the other slit forming a keeper for said hook,

(f) the thickness of said female part at said other slit fitting againstthe inner periphery of said hook under said turned hook point insubstantial registry with the plane of said flat body of said male partand in locked position overlying said lifting flange.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Harrison Oct. 10, 1893 Bodwell July 25, 1899McGlashan May 20, 1924 Hoffman Jan. 18, 1938 Winkler Apr. 18, 1944Meeker Apr. 26, 1960

